Zathura: A Space Adventure / Jumanji (Box Set) (Collector's Edition) (DVD)

This is a double DVD of two films inspired by the stories of Chris Van Allsburg.
They are based on the same concept of kids playing a Board Game for real with magic and mystery, which is presumably why these two DVDs are packaged together. Zathura, according to the author, is a follow up to Jumanji. However, they are two very different films in terms of quality and interest.

Jumanji - the film

Jumanji is the ...
...in his attic. He begins to play with his friend Sarah without really looking at it closely. The doom ridden saying of "Do not begin unless you intend to finish" is not noticed but then who pays such attention when you are a kid. Even if they had, they still would not have realised about the awesome power of the game. You know something is up when the pieces move on their own. Something is definitely up when he gets sucked into the game ... more

This is a double DVD of two films inspired by the stories of Chris Van Allsburg.
They are based on the same concept of kids playing a Board Game for real with magic and mystery, which is presumably why these two DVDs are packaged together. Zathura, according to the author, is a follow up to Jumanji. However, they are two very different films in terms of quality and interest.

Jumanji - the film

Jumanji is the story of Alan Parish who discovers and old board game in his attic. He begins to play with his friend Sarah without really looking at it closely. The doom ridden saying of "Do not begin unless you intend to finish" is not noticed but then who pays such attention when you are a kid. Even if they had, they still would not have realised about the awesome power of the game. You know something is up when the pieces move on their own. Something is definitely up when he gets sucked into the game with the information "In the jungle, you must wait, until you roll a five or eight". Sarah panics and leaves and the game becomes abandoned for 20 odd years. Then new children, the orphans Judy and Peter, move into the deserted house with their aunt and rediscover the game. They release a now grown up Alan by throwing the required number on the dice and their outlandish jungle-themed adventures begin as they attempt to finish the game. Well Alan's adventures started long ago inside the game. Now that could be another interesting film covering his time there.

In order to play the game they need all the players and that includes Sarah from the original time. She has lived away from everyone since Alan's disappearance and she and Alan have sort of lived parallel lives just in different dimensions. They have both grown up physically yet in some ways they are both still little children. He is a boy who is always afraid and this films shows how he deals with it.

I find the movie both exciting and interesting. It is full of creative imagination and humour. To play a board game for real sounds great but the consequences can be huge as is shown here. I enjoy the concept of happenings occurring outside the normal laws of time and space. There are thrilling scenes laced with danger but you can tell the game is fair and no one is really going to get killed. Even having seen it many times before I am drawn to it each time my kids choose to watch it. One of those films you can watch over and over again. Even though you know what is going to happen you really still want to watch it happen. The special effects are excellent and are both horrific and funny at the same time. I love the sinister rumble of the drums whenever the game is calling. This is reproduced on the Extras and is haunting each time I hear it.

The characters (actors):
Allan Parish (Robin Williams). He plays the part with gusto and relish. A part he can play well following on from other virtuoso performances in such films as Mrs Doubtfire, Good Morning Vietnam and Dead Poets' Society.

Sarah (Bonnie Hunt). Allan's old friend, Sarah is so funny in coming back to reality after spending 20 years having therapy to convince herself that Allan did not go into the game. She is played with great kookiness and affection.

Judy (Kirsten Dunst) and Peter (Bradley Pierce). The kids show a great development after their recent tragedy and draw the strength and ingenuity required to finish the game. They grow in character during the course of the game and the film, which is ironic when you see the end.

Carl (David Alan Crier). This is such a funny part. His bewilderment and the gradual destruction of his police car is done with such superb humour culminating in it being pulled into the bushes and broken in two.

Aunt Nora (Bebe Neuwirth). She also shows a brilliantly light comic touch. Best known for playing Frasier's wife in the eponymous series and Cheers, the actress sheds that role with ease and comes into her own. She and Carl provide the needed subplot that helps maintain interest in the main story and provides the audiences' amazed reaction on screen.

Jumanji Extras

Documentaries:

Lions and Monkeys and Pods oh my: This shows the making of the special effects of the animals and plants in the movie. They went through so many stages, especially, it seems, the lion with combinations of CGI, animatronics and puppets. Ironically I feel the lion is the least effective animal in the film but their idea was to make all the animals sort of larger than life - not in appearance but in their characterisation.

Bringing down the house: this was a very short tale of the vines and the collapse of the house. This didn't tell you anymore than what's on the DVD sleeve.

Making of Jumanji, the realm of imagination: To work with Robin Williams must be such fun. He seems to be always saying something funny or making funny faces. This is the joy of this little piece of information. You just wish that there was much more of him with his adlibs. Now that would be an extra worth having!

Theatrical trailer: an elaborate preview of the film. We have the film, we don't need a trailer of the film we have!

Teaser trailer: a smaller preview of the film. I am sorry if I repeat myself. We have the film, we don't need a trailer of the film we have!!

Storyboards: This gives some of the drawings with split screens of the corresponding action in the film. Quite interesting.

Photo galleries: This consists of several sections such as conceptual art, production stills and creating creatures. It shows many pictures from the various stages in making the movie and some are really quite interesting.

Talent profiles: This is basically the filmographies of the main actors. However of course it only goes up to the release of the DVD so is already out of date, especially in the case of Kirsten Dunst.

Zathura - the film

If I hadn't watched Jumanji first, I may have thought this a rather nice film with a clever idea at the centre of it. However, as this was not the case, the main concept of finding an old game in an old house and then playing it with magical things happening seems a direct copy and completely unoriginal. This film suffers in comparison to Jumanji in every aspect. The game is not so mysterious or intoxicating. The power of the story is not so strong and the happenings within the story appear disjointed and not consistent within the logic and framework of the narrative.

The story is set in a large old house that the father of the two boys, Walter and Danny, has moved them too as the mother has kept the old family home. The boys are very competitive and are constantly bickering with each other. He has to go out and leaves them under supervision of his apathetic teenager daughter, Lisa, who is moping about in bed and not aware of what is going on. The boys have another fight and the younger Danny ends up in the basement finding a dusty old board game, Zathura. He starts to play it without Walter but when things start to happen Walter is dragged in to play too. The game has a space theme so the house is taken out into space and related things occur on the turn of the key. However, things don't happen every turn, which is a bit odd for the progression of the story and the transfer of the house into space is not really explained properly. The appearance of the robot doesn't convince either but I have to admit its movement is fantastic.

Lisa is kept out of the initial part quite cleverly but when does appear she is not given much to do so her presence is rather superfluous. The appearance of the astronaut mimics the reappearance of Allan in Jumanji but the revelation of his connection to the boys and the game does not feel right at all and feels particularly illogical and unreal within the context of the story. I particularly didn't like how cheating in the game was handled. In Jumanji, the consequences were delightfully severe; here it is not reprimanded in a convincing way at all.

The characters (actors)
Father (Tim Robbins): A small role for him but he gives an affectionate portrayal of a divorced father's love for his kids and trying keep everything together.

Walter and Danny (Josh Hutchison and Jonah Bobo): They portray the sibling rivalry convincingly well and their developing closeness is nicely done. One minute you feel sympathy for Danny, the next you feel that he is a real pest, just like real brothers.

Lisa (Kristen Stewart): A bit of a nothing role but she brings a vivid intenseness to the proceedings and something to look at for the fathers.

Astronaut (Dax Shepard): Supposedly mysterious, the astronaut does not play his part effectively within the story but this is not the fault of the actor.

Zathura Extras

Race to the Black Planet: This is a short documentary on the making of the film. It mostly features the clever set and shows how the house was moved around on a gimble. The filmmakers show their commitment to models over CGI effects, which I find heartening.

The Right Moves: This documentary concentrates more on the people involved and the connection to the original book. It talks about showing the relationship between the two brothers, from not getting along to becoming a team to finish the game. Also it shows the changes made to the house during the film and thus gives the impression of different locations rather than the same fixed place, which might get a little boring.

Cast: This documentary talks you through the cast selection concentrating on the two boys as the central feature of the film. It was funny when Jonah Bobo showed off his false teeth as he'd lost some milk teeth during the extended filming whilst the actual film is only supposed to represent one day!

Miniatures: This features the model of the house. Incredibly detailed and the size of a small car, again it talks up the use of models over CGI. It shows the incredible detail put in, for example the inside of the rooms illuminated at night. Also it talks about the art deco design of the spaceships, which was interesting.

World of Charles Van Allsburg: This is an interview with the author of the original book. I like the way he says that the author of a book that has been made into a film should be credited as being "inspired by" rather than "based upon".

Zorgons, Robots and Frozen Lisa: This shows the making of the models. The filmmakers found models to be preferable to CGI as the acting kids respond and interact more easily with something actually there. That made good sense. The making of the spookily lifelike mannequin is also very good too.

Making the Game: The game is treated as another character in the film and this shows how it came about from the concept through the design to the actual equipment. I must admit they do make it authentically 1950's looking with its retro design and tin skin.

Trailers: These are trailers of other movies unconnected to this one so if you want a cinema-like event you could play these first before the main feature!

Overall, Jumanji is by far the better film and the one that I shall be watching again and again. The story is more exciting being set in a real town so there are more scene changes than with Zathura, which is basically stuck in the same house set throughout, albeit travelling through the solar system. The horror in Jumanji is played out with such great humour whilst in Zathura it doesn't provoke nearly so many laughs. Also the story hangs together much better in Jumanji, with events happening in logical context with each other. Zathura is worth seeing, though, so try and watch it first. Then move on to the sinister rumble of the drums of Jumanji. If you are looking for some fun filled family entertainment, then this is a great DVD box set to buy.

 

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